BSW is a fully operational underground winery and tasting room in SOMA, erected (hehe...) inside of an old office building and located within a five-block radius of where 70 wineries once stood pre-1906 earthquake. BSW's grapes're all sourced from vineyards within 100mi of the Bay Area, fermented in French Oak at 53 Bluxome during two months' worth of harvest each year, and turned into actual wine thanks to two temperature-controlled wine cellar-replacing rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows you can peek through to see.

One of the coolest parts of the experience is that the tasting room is encased in huge windows that open to the wine making that takes place the next room, so as you drink, you can watch Chris and his crew in action. In fact, the night before I came to visit, a dozen women who were doing a tasting became so intrigued by the wine making that they actually ended up pitching in for a few hours of work, something that Matt and Chris encourage.

Before the 1906 quake devastated the neighborhood, Bluxome Street was the center of San Francisco’s wine business. Matt Reidy, the president of Bluxome Street Winery who calls himself just another “artist on the block,” says he did not consider any other locations when making the transition from garagiste to commercial winemaker. His well-dressed style may read more real estate agent (his former vocation) than rogue downtown vintner, but Reidy—and winemaker Chris Nelson—are creating good, food-friendly vintages with a shared passion for cool-climate varietals and handcrafted, single-vineyard wines.